2. In a small bowl, combine the constarch and water and stir until smooth.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Away from the heat source, spray with the cooking spray. Return to the heat and add the margarine. Add the shallots and sauté for 1 minute. Add the scallops and tarragon and sauté for 4 minutes, or until the scallops become somewhat firm to the touch. Remove the scallops to a bowl and set aside.

4. To the same skillet, add the white whine, evaporated milk, and mustard and bring to a simmer. Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue to cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the Jarlsberg cheese until it melts. Return the scallops to the skillet and stir so that they are well coated.

5. Combine the bread crumbs, Romano cheese and black pepper in a small bowl.

6. Divide the scallop mixture evenly among 4 1-cup oven-proof au gratin dishes, or pour the entire mixture into a 1-quart oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crumbs turn golden and the liquid bubbles.

7. To serve, place each individual au gratin dish on a dinner plate and sprinkle with parsley. If you used on large baking dish, divide the scallops among 4 dinner plates and top each with parsley.

Source: The Diabetic Gourmet Cookbook by the Editors of Diabetic Gourmet Magazine

Review/Suggestions:

Ok, I finally broke down and bought dry white wine, along with half of the other ingredients I did not have: tarragon, Jarlsberg, Romano cheese, evap milk and scallops. Well, on the bright side, I now have the majority of the items to make this again.

The great debate: I thought it tasted good with the additional amount of Jarlsberg, but my boyfriend felt it overpowered the other flavors.

When the recipe said to use 1-cup au gratin dishes, my first thought was to fill the au gratin dish with 1 cup of the mixture. Wrong! I soon realized that dividing this mixture evenly meant a heaping 1/2 cup. If you have ravenous eaters who haven't adjusted to health-conscious portions, be prepared.

If you are going to prepare rice to accompany this dish, start it first or else you and the scallops will be left waiting.

Whether you are newly diagnosed or a seasoned Type 2 Diabetic, welcome.

For me it'll be five years since being diagnosed, and I don't mind saying maintaining a diabetic-friendly diet 24/7 "just ain't no walk in the park" to put it bluntly. Example - I was out in California at Disneyland shortly after being diagnosed. My friends and I were hungry so we headed over to Downtown Disney. As we were about to choose a restaurant, my dear friend, Jonathan, turned to me and asked "So what can you eat?" My response, "Food."

Yes, everyone had a rather good laugh. And you should too.

It is true, you do have to be more aware of what you eat. But, diabetes management has come a LONG way from even 15 years ago. Now, you can have a small amount of REAL sugar, as long as you factor it in with the rest of your meal's total carbs.

So the reason for this blog? My close friend, Teena, knows that I've been recently trying different diabetes recipes. When I invited her to join us for dinner, she asked "Why don't you do a blog and share these recipes? Give the REAL scoop on whether to bother, changes required or if it's a keeper." I had already been posting a short snip-it and pic of the dish/dessert on Facebook with positive input from friends. So, this just seemed to be the next logical step.

So with that, here's to eating not only food, but REAL guilt-free comfort foods (yes you really can use the words "guilt-free" and "comfort foods" together) and desserts (honestly). Ready?